Third chock clamp



April 18, 1967 w. J. HILL 3,314,263

THIRD CHOCK CLAMP Filed April :5, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet l a- OR BY Wc/ZMQWHm April 18, 1967 w. J, HlLL 3,314,263

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W. J. HILL A ril 18, 1967 THIRD CHOCK CLAMP 5 heets-Sheet 5 Filed April1964 5 mfl Ade TH T W Q4 2. 0 Wm I Z W April 18, 1967 V w. J. HILL3,314,263

Filed April 15, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

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THIRD CHOCK CLAMP Filed April 5, 1964 v 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 0 3,314,263 THIRD CHUCK CLAMP William J. Hill,Holden, Mass., assignor to Morgan Construction Company, Worcester,Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 3, 1964, Ser. No.357,140 11 Claims. (Cl. 72-237) This invention relates to roll stands ina rolling mill wherein the bearing chocks having work rolls journalledtherebetween are slidably mounted on guide rails extending through theroll housings, and more particularly to an improved means foroperatively connecting the rolls to the drive spindles.

In modern continuous mills which reduce blooms or billets of generallysquare cross-sections, vertical and horizontal roll stands are usuallyalternately positioned along the pass line. With this arrangement, theneed to twist the stock as it passes from one stand to the next isobviated, resulting in a more homogeneous structure and superior surfacequality of the product. Both horizontal and vertical roll stands of thistype are sometimes constructed wit-h spaced parallel guide railsextending therethrough. Bearing chocks having the work rolls journalledtherebetween are then inserted through suitably disposed housing windowsand slidably mounted on the guide rails. With this construction, rollseparating adjustments can be made by moving the rolls and theirrespective chocksby screw adjustments, with the guide rails followingdue to the interlocking engagement between the chocks and the railflanges. Roll replacement is also greatly facilitated with thisarrangement due to the advantage of being able to slide roll and theirrespective bearing checks in and out of the housings along the guiderails.

Although the present invention may be utilized in connection with eitherhorizontal or vertical roll stands of this general design, itsdescription will hereinafter be presented with primary reference tovertical roll stands. It should be noted however that the description isin tended as an illustration of an inventive concept capable of beingutilized with both vertical and horizontal roll stands.

An example of an earlier vertical roll stand having guide railsextending therethrough is shown in US. Patent No. 2,583,844. In rollstands of this design, rolls were journalled between upper and lowerbearing chocks slidably mounted on guide rail extending verticallythrough the housing. from the housing and terminated at their lowerextremities in integrally fabricated inwardly disposed ledges havingvertical bores extending therethrough. Each bore in turn contained abearing which carried and located the upper portion of a conventionalslipper-type universal joint connecting the lower roll end to anunderlying vertical disposed drive spindle. Although this arrangementproved satisfactory in many respects, maintenance difficulties wereencountered when removal of the drive spindles was necessary. This wasparticularly true of installatiofis where overhead clearance between thestands and the mill roof was limited.

More particularly, when removing drive spindles from housing of thitype, each roll journalled between its upper and lower bearing checkswas first removed as a subassembly of relatively short length by slidingit upwardly along the guide rails. However, due to the fact that theledges containing the upper spindle universal joints were integral withthe rails, in order to avoid disturbing the guide rails, it was thennecessary to dismantle bearing sealing and retaining components beforeremoving the universal joints and their depending spindles. In addi- Theguide rails were separable tion to being a costly and time consumingoperation, these components were located in an extremely unfavorableenvironment, a factor making it even more difficult for operatingpersonnel to Work efficiently when replacing or exchanging vulnerableand expendable driving components.

As an alternative to the above, it was possible to remove each guiderail and universal joint with a spindle hanging therefrom as asub-assembly. Removal of the rails however first necessitateddisconnecting the hydraulic pull-back mechanisms which were operativelyengaged thereto. Moreover, excessive overhead clearance was required forremoval of rails with drive spindles hanging therefrom.

In order to avoid these difliculties, improved vertical mill stands weresubsequently developed wherein the overhead clearance needed for removalof drive spindles was reduced to a minimum and the need to disconnectroll pull-back mechanisms completely obviated. In addition, this Wasaccomplished without the need to dismantle bearing sealing components.

An example of such an improved vertical roll stand is shown in myco-pending application Ser. No. 61,574, now issued as US. latent No.3,194,045. It this improved design, vertically extending guide rails areagain positioned in spaced oppositely disposed pairs within the housing.The rolls, journalled between upper and lower bearing chocks areslidably mounted in axial alignment on the guide rails. However, adilferent means of connecting the underlying drive spindles to the rollwobblers is provided through the use of conventional spindle couplingsconnected within third chocks separable from the guide rails.

With thi construction, each roll and its respective bearing chocks canagain be removed as a sub-assembly of relatively short length. Theseparable third chocks with assembled spindles can then be removed as asecond su'bassembly of comparable length without disturbing the guiderails and hydraulic pull-back mechanisms con- 1 nected thereto. Thelength of these units, can be made to approximate the height of the rollhousing with the result that the overhead clearance needed fordisassembly is greatly reduced.

It should also be noted that with this construction as well as that ofthe earlier design, special precautions need not be taken to support theupper extremities of the drive spindles during roll replacements.Moreover, when sliding another work roll into position along the guiderails, the roll Wobbler will be automatically aligned with the universaljoint serving as a connecting means between the roll and the drivespindle. This is of particular importance in horizontal roll standssince it avoids the necessity of positioning spindle jacks beneath thedrive spindles prior to removal of the rolls.

When assembling the various components in roll stands of the typedescribed in my US. Patent No. 3,194,045, third chocks with spindlesdepending downwardly therefrom are slidably mounted on the guide railsand downwardly displaced to a position at rest on a fixed lower portionof the guide rails. Upper and lower bearing chocks having rollsjournalled therebetween are then slidably mounted on the guide rails andheld tightly thereagainst by operation of the horizontal roll adjustingmeans. In contrast, however, the third checks simply remain slidablyengaged on the rails with some slight clearances existing therebetweenduring subsequent operation of the mill. It has been found that althoughvery slight, these clearances result in axial misalignment of the thirdchock with respect to the upper and lower bearing chocks. As a result,rotation of the spindles produces a certain amount of relative movementor play between the third chocks and the guide rails, a factor resultingin harmful mill vibrations.

In order to avoid creation of the aforementioned mill vibrations, thepresent improvement has been developed wherein each separable thirdchock is locked tightly against the guide rails in accurate axialalignment with the bearing chocks.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means ofavoiding undesirable mill vibrations caused by relative movement betweenthe third chocks and the guide rails.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means ofremovably mounting third chocks on the guide rails in accurate axialalignment with the bearing chocks.

- A further object of the present invention is to provide a means oftightly retaining separable third chocks against guide surfaces commonto those against which the bear ing chocks are held by the rollseparating means.

Another object of the present invention is to avoid the necessity ofdisconnecting hydraulic pull-back mechanisms from the guide rails whenremoval of drive spindles is necessitated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved meansof securing third chocks to the guide rails, said means capable of beingquickly dismantled when removal of the third chocks and their respectivedrive spindles as single sub-assemblies is required.

These and other objects of the present invention will become moreapparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of a vertical roll stand embodyingthe present invention with a portion of the housing broken away to showthe upper and lower bearing chocks and a separable third chock mountedon the guide rails;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing therail pull-back devices connected to the guide rails;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along 33 of FIG. 1 showing the rollparting adjustment screws;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a separable third choci; mounted on theguide rails of a vertical mill;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken through the locking wedge along line6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a partial side elevation similar to FIG. 4 wherein the certainforces exerted by the locking wedge are illustrated diagrammatically;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of a horizontal roll stand embodying thepresent invention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1 wherein are best shown the generalfeatures of the invention, a vertical mill stand indicated generally bythe reference numeral 1% is shown :omprised basically of a housingstructure 11 mounted i'or vertical movement on a base 12. Verticalmovement 5 imparted to the housing structure 11 by means of :levationalscrewjacks 13 extending upwardly from elevatng drive mechanisms 14 tocontact the undersurface of ase 12. The drive mechanisms areinterconnected by neans of shaft 15 and driven through drive shaft 16 )ymotor 17.

Two rolls 18 and 20 are rotatably mounted within the lousing structure11 and are driven by underlying drive .pindles 24 and 26. Drive spindles24 and 26 extend ipwardly from a gear housing (not shown) containing theisual beveled gears and mill pinions for speed reduction, tngular changeof direction and division of input power ietween the roll drivingspindles. Such gearing is well :nown in the art and does not form a partof the present nvention.

As is made evident in FIG. 1 by the cut away portion of housing 11, roll20 is journaled between upper and lower bearing chocks 28 and 30slidably mounted on a vertically disposed pair of guide rails 32. Aswill be hereinafter described in more detail, the bearing chocks areheld against flanges on the guide rails 32 by the roll partingadjustment mechanisms. The lower extension of roll 20 having anirregular cross-sectional shape commonly referred to as a Wobbler isconnected to drive spindle 26 by means of a conventional universalcoupling rotatably contained within a third chock 34 separable from andalso slidably mounted on guide rails 32 beneath upper and lower bearingchocks 28 and 30. Although not completely shown in FIG. 1, it should beunderstood that roll 18 is similarly journaled within upper and lowerbearing chocks 29 and 31 slidably mounted on a second pair of guiderails 36 extending vertically through the housing in opposed spacedrelationship to rails 32.

As shown in FIG. 9, in horizontal mill stands of similar design, guiderails 32a and 36a extend horizontally through the housing. The separablethird chocks 34a and 90:: are slidably mounted on the guide rails anddisplaced thereon to the drive side of the mill where they support oneend of horizontally disposed drive spindles 24a and 26a. Horizontallydisposed work rolls 18a and 20a are then inserted into the housing byslidably engaging the bearing chocks on the guide rails in much the samemanner as is illustrated in connection with a vertical mill.

As is evident from an examination of FIGS. 1-3, the vertical mill stand10 is substantially symmetrical in construction about the pass line. Inview of this fact, the following more detailed description of thepresent invention will proceed with emphasis being placed primarily onthe right side of the mill stand (drive side) as viewed in FIG. 1. Itshould be understood however that this description will apply equally aswell to the left side (work side) of the mill.

As previously mentioned, when assembled within housing 11, upper andlower bearing chocks for either roll 18 or 2% are slidably engaged andtightly held against either guide rail 32 or 36 by the roll partingadjustment mechanisms. This can be best seen by a combined reference toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3. As can be seen in FIG. 2, guide rails 32 are held ininterconnected laterally aligned spaced relationship by means of a flatrail separating member 38 attached therebetween. Guide rails 36 aresimilarly interconnected in spaced relationship by rail separator 39.Both rails 32 and 36 are additionally provided with inwardly disposedrail flanges 40 designed to be seated within similarly shaped flangereceiving grooves 42 extending vertically along the sides of upperbearing chocks 28 and 29. Lower bearing chocks 30 and 31 are providedwith flange receiving grooves (not shown) identical to grooves 42. Thesegrooves cooperate with the inwardly disposed rail flanges 40 inpermitting the chocks to be slidably engaged on the guide rails asindicated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Guide rails 32 and 36 are further connected by means of clevises 44 andpins 43 to the retractable piston rods 45 of hydraulic pull-back devices46. With this construetion, the space between guide rails 32 and 36 maybe varied by retracting or extending pistons 45. This in turn willresult in a corresponding change in the distance separating the workrolls due to the mechanical engagement of rail flanges 40 within theflange receiv in'g grooves 42 of the bearing chocks.

Referring now to FIG. 3 which is a sectional view through the mill at aslightly lower level than FIG. 2, it can be seen that the upper bearingchocks 28 and 29 are further engaged by roll positioning screws 48extending horizontally through openings in the guide rail separators 38and 39 with their inwardly disposed ends engaging the chocks as at 49.Screws 48 are threaded through nuts 50 fixed within housing 11 withtheir other ends connected by gear sets contained within gear boxes 51to vertically disposed spindles 52. It shouldbe understood that spindles52 extend downwardly from gear boxes 51 to lower gear boxes (not shown)in order to transmit power to similar screws engaging lower bearingchocks and 31. Power for the upper and lower roll positioning screws 48is provided by motors 54 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) operatively connected tothe vertical spindles 52.

With this construction, it can be seen that the work rolls 18 and 20 canbe separated or drawn closer together by the combined operation of theupper and lower roll positioning screws 48 and rail pull-back devices46. When the screws 48 are withdrawn, guide rails 32 and 36 are pulledback by operation of the rail pull-back devices 46, thereby maintaininga firm abutting relationship between the chocks and the ends of thescrews as at 49. The opposed forces exerted by the roll positioningscrews 48 and rail pull-back devices 46 on the bearing chocks,

and guide rails respectively will result in the inner faces 41 of railflanges being seated tightly against the opposed inner faces of flangesreceiving grooves 42 with no chance of relative motion or playdeveloping therebetween.

This arrangement permits the space between rolls to be varied withoutchanging the relative position of the pass line. When removal of therolls is necessitated, the roll positioning screws are retracted withthe roll chocks also being pulled back under the influence of the railpull-back devices. This continues until the outer edges of therailsengage inwardly disposed rail stops 55 on the housing. Althoughthis prevents further retraction of the guide rails, the rollpositioning screws continue to back off for a limited distance, thusremoving the chock clamping action between the ends of the screws as at49 and the inner faces 41 of flange receiving grooves 42. The chocksthus become free to slide upwardly along the rails for roll removal andreplacement while the rails remain rigidly held in position againststops 55 by the force of the hydraulic rail pull-back devices 46.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 wherein is shown an enlarged view of thethird chock 34 slidably mounted on the lower extremity of guide rails32, it can be seen that the guide rails terminate at their lower ends inintegrally fabricated horizontally disposed fixed stop means,hereinafter referred to as chock supporting ledges 56. As can be bestseen in FIG. 5, ledges 56 extend inwardly beyond the inner edges of railflanges 40 towards the center of the housing to support the third chockpositioned therebetween. Third chock 34 is provided with rail flangereceiving grooves 58 identical to the grooves 42 in the upper and lowerbearing chocks which are designed to interlock with the inwardlydisposed rail flanges 40. This interlocking arrangement permits slidabledisplacement of the third chocks along guide rails 32 in the same manneras already discussed in connection with the upper and lower bearingchocks 28 and 30.

The third chock 34 is further provided along either side withledge-receiving recesses generally indicated by the reference numeral60. These recesses are designed to accept the horizontally disposedchock supporting ledges 56 when the third chock is operativelypositioned as shown in the drawings. Liner plates 62 having generallyL-shaped cross-sections (see FIG. 7) are attached to the sides of thethird chock by means of screws indicated typically at 64 to providereplaceable wearing surfaces between the chock supporting ledges 56 andthe third chocks. With this construction, it can readily be seen thatthe third chock may be slidably engaged on the guide rails 32 andthereafter downwardly displaced to a lowered position supported by thehorizontally dis posed chock supporting ledges 56 with the liner plates62 interposed therebetween. At this point in the assembly of thirdchocks to the rails 32, some clearance still exists between the innerfaces 41 of the rail flanges 40 and the opposed faces of rail flangereceiving grooves 58. Were the third chock to remain so positionedduring operation of the mill, its accurate axial alignment with 6 theupper and lower bearing chocks would not be possible.

The means for locking the third chock to the guide rails in axialalignment with the bearing chocks will now be described with initialreference to FIG. 4.

A tapered wedge receiving slot 66 is shown formed between the opposedfaces 68 and 70 of the third chock 34 and the chock supporting ledge 56respectively when the third chock is supported thereon. Although notshown in FIG. 4, it should be understood that an identical wedgereceiving slot is formed on the other side of the chock. Slots 66 extendupwardly at an angle to circular recesses 72 in communication withopen-sided passageways 74 which continue upwardly therefrom through thethird chock housing to terminate in counter-sunk holes 76.

Locking wedges 7 8 provided with threaded passageways extendingtherethrough are positioned between the third chock 34 and the chocksupporting ledges 56 within wedge receiving slots 66. Wedge screws 30having integral enlarged shoulders 82 are then located in passageways 74and threaed through the locking wedges 78. By tightening screws 80, itcan readily be seen that enlarged shoulders 82 Will be seated incounter-sunk holes 76 as the locking wedges 78 are drawn upwardly intowedge receiving slots 66. The resulting screw force exerted on eachwedge has been diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 8 by the forcevector F As analyzed, F is the resultant of horizontal and verticalcomponents P and F Horizontal component F is transferred directly to thethird chock 34 and results in the third chock being pushed away from thevertically disposed guide rails on which it is mounted by a horizontalforce H. As shown in FIG. 5, this causes the inner faces 41 of railflange 40 to seat tightly against the opposed faces of the flangereceiving grooves 58 which extend vertically along each side of thethird chock housing. It can therefore be seen that tightening of wedgescrews 80 will result in the third chock 34 being pushed against theinner faces 41 of rail flanges 40 in accurate axial alignment with thebearing chocks 28 and 30 also held against inner faces 41 by thecombined action of the roll separating mechanisms. In this manner, anyplay that might otherwise have developed between the third chock and itsguide rails during high speed rotation of the drive spindles ispositively eliminated.

As indicated in FIG. 6, the angularly disposed inner faces 68 of thirdchock 34 have been machined at an inwardly sloping angle 0 matching thatof the outwardly sloping opposed face of wedge 78. Because of thisrelationship, the horizontal component F of screw force F can be furtherbroken down into two force vectors P and F F will be appliedperpendicularly to face 68 and P; will be applied inwardly to draw eachwedge against the sides of the third chock. In this manner, anypossibility of the wedges becoming accidentally disengaged from wedgereceiving slots 66 during operation of the mill will be avoided.

As can be further seen in FIG. 8, the vertical component FF of screwforce F will produce downward force V on the third chock which willreact through liner plates 62 to hold the third chock down on the chocksup porting ledges 56. This is an important factor in the event that theroll Wobbler 88 becomes tightly fitted within the universal-typecoupling 86 rotatably contained within third chock 34. With thisarrangement, the roll Wobbler can be pulled out of the coupling withoutpulling the third chock off its supporting ledges.

As shown in FIG. 7, the undersurface 84 of each liner plate 62 isundercut at an angle A matching that of the sloping upper face of thechock supporting ledges 56. As previously mentioned, when the wedgescrews 80 are tightened in order to draw wedges 78 into wedge receivingslots 66, a downward force V is exerted on the third chock housingtending to force the third chock down onto the chock supporting ledges.In actuality, due to the undercut surfaces 84 of liner plates 62, thedownward force V will be resolved into two components indicateddiagrammatically in FIG. 7 by the force vectors P and F F will beapplied perpendicular to surface 84 and will force the third chockagainst the upper sloping edges of chock supporting ledges 56. F will beapplied horizontally and will tend to pull the chock supporting ledges56 against the sides of the chock 34.

It can therefore be seen that by tightening wedge screws 80, the entirethird chock assembly will be brought into a tightly interlockedrelationship rigid in all planes. More particularly, the horizontalcomponent P of screw force F will cause the inner faces 41 of railflanges 46 to seat themselves tightly against the opposed faces offlange receiving grooves 58 as the third chock is pushed away from theguide rails. In addition, the third chock will be forced downwardly ontothe chock supporting ledges 56 by force V. Still further, the wedgeswill be held within the wedge receiving slots 66 and the chocksupporting ledges 56 pushed against the third chock housing by the forcecomponents F and P These factors when taken together, provide a means ofsecurely mounting the third chock in accurate axial alignment with theupper bearing chocks.

It should of course be understood that third chock 90 is removablyattached to guide rails 36 in an identical manner in order to provide anoperative connection between drive spindle 24 and roll 18. With thisconstruction, each drive spindle, spindle coupling and third chock canbe assembled into a single sub-assembly on the mill floor. This havingbeen done, each third chock and its depending drive spindle can beslidably engaged on either guide rails 32 and 36 and thereafter loweredto a supported position on the third chock supporting ledges 56. Thelocking wedges 78 are then inserted within the wedge receiving slots 66,engaged by screws 80 and thereafter manually tightened to lock the thirdchocks into position. Following this procedure, the rolls and theirrespective upper and lower bearing chocks may be slidably lowered assecond sub-assemblies along the guide rails into opera tive positions asindicated in FIG. 1.

Having thus described the invention in connection with a vertical millstand, it should now be apparent to one skilled in the art that the sameconcepts may be utilized in horizontal roll stands where the bearingchocks are slidably engaged on horizontally disposed guide rails.

More particularly, as shown in FIG. 9, a horizontal roll stand generallyindicated by the reference numeral 94 is shown provided with upper andlower opposed guide rails 32a and 36a extending horizontallytherethrough. l'he rails terminate at the drive side of the housing innwardly disposed chock abutments 98 corresponding to he chock supportingledges 56 illustrated in FIGS. 18.

With this arrangement, upper and lower separable third :hocks 34a and90a are slidably mounted on the guide ads and displaced to a positionabutting chock abutments l8 where they are locked in place by taperedlocking vedges 78a as previously described in connection with erticalmill stand 10. Each third chock contains a uniersal coupling 86a whichprovides a means of connecting iorizontally extending drive spindles 24aand 26a to work olls 18a and 20a. The work rolls are journalled betweentearing chocks also slidably mounted on the horizontally :xtending guiderails.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modificaions of theinvention herein chosen for purposes of dislosure which do not departfrom the spirit and scope of he invention.

I claim:

1. In a roll stand for a rolling mill having rolls jouraled for rotationbetween bearing chocks, said rolls conected to drive spindles byuniversal spindle couplings otatably mounted within independent thirdchocks, means or maintaining constant axial alignment between saidcaring chocks and said third chocks comprising the comination of:opposed elongated guide rails extending through said roll stand toterminate at one end in fixed stop means, said rails further providedwith inwardly disposed rail flanges; said third chocks being separablefrom said guide rails and slidably mounted thereon to positions abuttingsaid fixed stop means; said bearing chocks being slidably mounted onsaid guide rails and held in mutual axial alignment against said railflanges by roll separation adjustment means; and third chock securingmeans associated with said fixed stop means for positively locking saidthird chocks against said rail flanges in axial alignment with saidbearing chocks.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fixed stop meansare comprised of integrally fabricated ledges extending inwardly fromsaid guide rails towards the center of said mill.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said third chocksecuring means is comprised of: recesses in the sides of said thirdchocks, said recesses cooperating with said fixed stop means to providetapered wedge receiving slots extending between said third chocks andsaid fixed stop means, locking wedges positioned within said wedgereceiving slots, and means for drawing said locking wedges into saidslots in order to force said third chocks into positions resting againstsaid rail flanges in axial alignment with said bearing chocks.

4. In a roll stand for a rolling mill, means for positioning thirdchocks containing spindle couplings in axial alignment with bearingchocks having rolls journaled therebetween, said means comprising thecombination of: elongated guide rails extending through said roll standto terminate in fixed stop means, each said guide rails further providedwith at least one chock aligning rail flange extending along its entirelength; said third chocks slidably mounted on said guide rails topositions abutting said fixed stop means; said bearing chocks slidablymounted on said guide rails and held in axial alignment against saidrail flange by roll separation adjustment means; and third chocksecuring means associated with said fixed stop means for positivelylocking said third chocks against said rail flange in axial alignmentwith said bearing chocks, said third chocks securing means comprised ofrecesses in the sides of said third chocks, said recesses cooperatingwith said fixed stop means to provide tapered wedge receiving slotsextending between said third chocks and said fixed stop means, taperedlocking wedges removably positioned within said wedge receiving slots,and means for drawing locking wedges into said slots in order to forcesaid third chocks against said chock aligning rail flange and said fixedstop means, thereby resulting in axial alignment of said third chockswith said bearing chocks.

5. In a rolling mill, for use with a roll stand having rolls journaiedbetween bearing chocks to form subassemblies separable from said rollstand, said rolls operativcly connected to drive spindles by couplingmeans journalled within independent third chocks, said drive spindles,third chocks and coupling means also forming sub-assemblies separablefrom said roll stand, means for mounting said third chocks within saidroll stand in accurate axial alignment with said bearing chockscomprising the combination of guide rails extending through said rollstand to terminate in fixed stop means, each said guide rails providedwith at least one continuous aligning surface extending along its entirelength, said bearing chocks and said third chocks slidably mounted onsaid guide rails; said bearing chocks held in mutual alignment againstsaid aligning surface by roll separation adjustment means associatedwith said bearing chocks and said guide rails; and means for forcingsaid third chocks against said aligning surface and said fixed stopmeans in accurate axial alignment with said bearing chocks.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said fixed stop meansextend laterally from said guide rails out towards the center of saidmill, said third chocks being locked against said fixed stop means whenin an operative position within said housing.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for forcingsaid third chocks against the aligning surface of said guide rails iscomprised of recesses in the sides of said third chocks, said recessescooperating with said fixed stop means to provide wedge receiving slotsextending between said third chocks and said fixed stop means, andlocking wedges drawn into said slots in order to force said third chocksagainst said fixed stop means and the aligning surface of said rails.

8. For use in a roll stand having rolls journaled between bearing chocksto form sub-assemblies separable from said roll stand, said rollsconnected to drive spindles by coupling means contained within thirdchocks, said drive spindles, third chocks and coupling means formingsub-assemblies also separable from said roll stand, means for providingaccurate axial alignment between said bearing chocks and said thirdchocks comprising the combination of: spaced parallel guide railsextending through said roll stand to terminate at one end in fixed stopmeans, each said guide rails provided with at least one continuous chockaligning surface extending over substantially its entire length; saidbearing chocks and said third chocks slidably mounted on said guiderails, said third chocks resting against said fixed stop means; saidbearing chocks held against the chock aligning surfaces of said guiderails by roll separation adjustment means associated with said rollstand; and means for forcing said third chocks against said aligningsurfaces in accurate axial alignment with said bearing chocks, saidmeans comprising recesses in the sides of said third chocks, saidrecesses cooperating with said fixed stop means to provide tapered Wedgereceiving slots extending between said third chocks and said fixed stopmeans, tapered locking Wedges positioned within said wedge receivingslots, and means for drawing said wedges into said slots in order toincrease the width of said wedge receiving slots and thereby force saidthird chocks against said fixed stop means and the aligning surfaces ofsaid guide rails.

9. In a roll stand having rolls journalled for rotation between bearingchocks, said rolls connected to drive spindles by universal spindlecouplings journalled for rotation within independent third chocks, meansfor maintaining constant axial alignment between said bearing chocks andsaid third chocks comprising the combination of: spaced elongated guiderail assemblies extending through said roll stand in opposed parallelrelationship, each said guide rail assemblies terminating at one end infixed stop means extending laterally therefrom towards the center ofsaid roll stand, each said guide rail assemblies further provided withat least one continuous chock aligning surface extending over the entirelength thereof; said third chocks separable from said guide railassemblies and slidably mounted thereon to positions abutting said fixedstop means; said bearing chocks having said rolls journalledtherebetween slidably mounted on said guide rail assemblies and heldagainst said continuous chock aligning surface by roll separatingadjustment means; and third chock securing means associated with saidfixed stop means for positively locking said third chocks against saidchock aligning surface in axial alignment with said bearing chocks, saidthird chock securing means comprising recesses in the sides of saidthird chocks, said recesses cooperating with said fixed stop means toprovide tapered wedge receiving slots extending between said thirdchocks and said fixed stop means, tapered locking wedges positionedwithin said wedge receiving slots, each said wedges provided withthreaded passageways extending therethrough in axial alignment withapertures in said third chocks, and wedge screws extending through saidapertures into threaded engagement within said passageways whereby whensaid wedge screws are tightened, said tapered wedges are drawn into saidwedge receiving slots by a force exerted axially through said screws,said force resulting in said third chocks being pulled against saidfixed stop means and said chock aligning surface.

19. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein the contactingsurfaces of said locking wedges and said third chocks are bevelled, saidbevelled surfaces cooperating to force said wedges against said thirdchocks as said wedge screws are tightened.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein the contactingsurfaces between said fixed stop means and said third chocks arebevelled, said bevelled surfaces cooperating to pull said fixed stopmeans against said third chocks as said wedge screws are tightened.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,696,131 12/1954 Peterson 72-249 3,190,098 6/ 1965 Wilson 72244 3,194,045 7/1965Hill 72-238 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. RUDERMAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A ROLL STAND FOR A ROLLING MILL HAVING ROLLS JOURNALED FORROTATION BETWEEN BEARING CHOCKS, SAID ROLLS CONNECTED TO DRIVE SPINDLESBY UNIVERSAL SPINDLE COUPLINGS ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN INDEPENDENTTHIRD CHOCKS, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING CONSTANT AXIAL ALIGNMENT BETWEENSAID BEARING CHOCKS AND SAID THIRD CHOCKS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF:OPPOSED ELONGATED GUIDE RAILS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ROLL STAND TOTERMINATE AT ONE END IN FIXED STOP MEANS, SAID RAILS FURTHER PROVIDEDWITH INWARDLY DISPOSED RAIL FLANGES; SAID THIRD CHOCKS BEING SEPARABLEFROM SAID GUIDE RAILS AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED THEREON TO POSITIONS ABUTTINGSAID FIXED STOP MEANS; SAID BEARING CHOCKS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ONSAID GUIDE RAILS AND HELD IN MUTUAL AXIAL ALIGNMENT AGAINST SAID RAILFLANGES BY ROLL SEPARATION ADJUSTMENT MEANS; AND THIRD CHOCK SECURINGMEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIXED STOP MEANS FOR POSITIVELY LOCKING SAIDTHIRD CHOCKS AGAINST SAID RAIL FLANGES IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAIDBEARING CHOCKS.